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Oops! She did it again. Susan May Warren, that is. She's done it again with yet another fabulous Noble Legacy Series book! Sigh. I have told Sara that I think Susie has become my new hero in writing. The way she hauls me into her stories with a tight rope (yes, pun intended, even if it is lame), hunky characters (come on, admit it! Rafe and Nick are gorgeous men!! Why else do you think they're on her covers!), and carefully crafted stories. Without further ado, here's Rafe...sort of:

Rather than supply a typical excerpt, I'm going to once again show you a line that made me laugh, and in a way, captures the essence and flavor of Taming Rafe awesome writing:

"Oh, please, there isn't a woman alive who wouldn't stand on a bed of coals to sit next to Lincoln Cash." "He's not my type, which only adds to the fact that my mother and I were nothing alike. I prefer well-barbered, silk-suited man to a whiskered, rough-edged scoundrel who considers a wink the invitation to dinner or more. Besides, I have Bradley." Cari sighed. "Right." "Bradley is stable. And patient. Everything a woman could want." "If you're a houseplant."

I love that part! Classic. Keeps the edgy tension balanced with a bit of humor. I love doing that in my own stories.

OH...Because I think Susan is soo kewl, and because we share the same agent extraordinaire (Steve Laube), and because you can't NOT read this book...I'm going to do something I don't normally do. I'm going to buy a copy of this fabulous book for ONLY BLESSED WINNER (between Shoutlife, Edgy Christian Fiction Writers, and this blog). So, make sure to leave your name and a phish-proof email address!!!

Find page 123.Find the first 5 sentences.Post the next 3 sentences.Tag 5 people.

The book closest to me at the moment is Taming Rafe by Susan May Warren. So far, I LOVE it--Susie's one of the few writers whose writing actually grab me and don't let go, much like Rafe's grip on that bull rope--yeeeouch!! I think Susie is one of my writing heroes...or should that be heroines? LOL I'll be doing a post for her blog tour on this novel soon, so stay tuned for more details on this great read!!

Here's p. 123! (which I haven't gotten to yet! oh the suspense!)

She heard him sit beside her. Silence passed between them, but she didn't feel the need to fill it. She just watched the wind push the clouds across forever.

Hey, everyone! Wow, things are just insane right now. Let me update y'all. It's been a very tough road since 9/11 hit and the technology industry tanked. We've been through a lot, including foreclosure and we're about to hit four moves in five years!! UGH! I hate that. Four years ago, it was spoken over us at church that the "tide was turning." We expected and wanted that tide to be a Tsunami and to hit us fast and hard.

Didn't happen.

God had other ideas. But now, we're here, and after a very long journey through the desert (along with the blisters, snake bites, and sunburns to prove it), I believe we're coming out on the other side.

About three weeks ago, Brian got a call that there was a job up in the D/FW metroplex doing exactly what he loves doing--selling internet security-type stuff. The type of job he's always done so well at. He dashed off his resume. Got a call within ten minutes. He interviewed the next day.

Not only did he get the job, but he's assigned the best territory with a pay and benefits package that will get us back on our feet (read: be able to pay our bills) for the first time in three years. The official offer letter/package arrived Friday. Woo-hooo!!!!! He signed the letter and emailed it back immediately. That means his start date was officially Friday--which (should) mean he gets paid at the end of the month (that was a concern)!! Brian is leaving tonight to head up there and begin his new career.

And God reminded me of something today. In January, I charged a new bedding set that was on clearance at my work. Between the clearance price and my associate discount, I got a fabulous deal. I was very proud. But almost as soon as I made the purchase, I had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. God really nudged me hard to return the comforter, prompted me that this was the year to get out of debt. I have to tell you, I REALLY wrestled with that. It was a great deal and our other one is torn and falling apart. Besides, I couldn't see how we would ever get out of debt, especially since we were living on my part-time income. I was like... "Um, hello, God? Are you missing the part where Brian has no income? And Brian gave me *permission* to buy the comforter!!!" (That alone was a miracle, I thought. LOL)

As you can imagine, the discussion was one-way. LOL God wasn't budging. He gave me His wisdom. I had a choice. Return it or not to return it.

I returned it.

And then Brian got this job. And then we got a HUGE tax-return...so much so that we paid off four bills and caught up on the others. When I shared this with Brian, I told him it wasn't that my returning the comforter brought about those things. But without that experience between God and myself, I wouldn't have recognized the Hand of God moving in our lives as much, and I wouldn't have appreicated as much the whole getting out of debt thing the way I can now. Obedience in such a small thing opened my eyes in a BIG way...even though it didn't make sense when it was happening.

We are far from being clear and free. But we're on the road.

Confession: It's really hard, however, to rejoice in all this, knowing that my dearest friends are still in their deserts, their dark tunnels. I know we all have different journeys God calls us to, and we're all at different phases, but it's still hard to see my friends hurting so much....

Hey, everyone! Listen up! I've got the Loud Asian Chick on my blog today. That's right--Camy Tang is featured here, and I'm so thrilled and honored to share her new book with you.

But first - I have to confess. I think I was supposed to do an interview with Camy. :-( Sigh. I'm terribly sorry to both you and Camy for failing in this. Our family has had some exciting and unexpected things happening, and I've been caught in that whirlwind. However, I'm really hoping Camy will let me feature her again, soon. She's a really kewl friend, so stick close and pray hard. LOL

Now, on to her book. I got the extreme pleasure of reading Only Uni before the final version went to press...and I have to admit that I loved this one. Not only are her characters funny and compelling, but as always, Camy's stories are structured so well, you feel satisified once you come to the end. And check out this cover!! It's crisp and clean looking, to match the author's fresh style! Camy pens strong, believable characters who leave you rolling on the floor and pulling for them the next instant.

You can read the first chapter of Only Uni here. And here is Zondervan's official synopsis of the book: Trish Sakai is ready for a change from her wild, flirtatious behavior, so she creates three rules to follow from First and Second Corinthians. But with a persistent ex-boyfriend and a gorgeous coworker in pursuit, suddenly Trish’s simple rules don’t seem so simple after all.

Have you read Camy's first book, Sushi for One? If you have, what did you like about it? For me, Camy's kick-butt humor matches her heroine's! So, be sure to leave a comment--Camy has graciously donated a free book for a drawing (drawing winner will be chosen from this blog's commenters, Edgy Christian Fiction's, and Shoutlife's).